Systems and methods for selecting a region of a flexible screen and controlling video playback

ABSTRACT

Methods and systems are provided for selecting region of a flexible screen based on a detected curvature of the flexible screen. A mobile device detects a vertex and degree of the curvature of the flexible screen. The mobile device selects a region of the flexible screen that is centered at the vertex and whose size is proportional to the degree of curvature. The mobile device highlights the region of the flexible display to visually indicate the selected region.

BACKGROUND

This disclosure is generally directed to improved user interface ofelectronic devices that have a flexible screen. In particular, methodsand systems are provided for object selection and media assetpresentation control based on the state of the curvature of the flexiblescreen.

SUMMARY

Conventional electronic devices (e.g., mobile electronic devices orwearable electronic devices) with a flexible screen continue to rely onoutdated touch input from a user to select portions of the flexiblescreen, to select objects displayed on the flexible screen, and tocontrol presentation of media assets that are being displayed on theflexible screen. For example, to accomplish selection of an area of thescreen, a conventional electronic device with a flexible screen has toreceive a complicated series of touch inputs. For example, theelectronic device has to detect two fingers dragging across the screen.Due to the difficulty required, such inputs often result in a selectionof a wrong portion of a display. In another example, it may be defaultfor a user to select, by touch, an object that is moving around on thescreen as part of a media asset. Often a media asset has to be paused toallow the selection of an object by touch. In another example, toreceive a media asset presentation control command (e.g., pause, rewind,or fast-forward command), a conventional electronic device with aflexible screen has to receive a touch input from the user of anappropriate area of the flexible screen (e.g., a touch of a pausebutton, a touch of a rewind button, or a touch of a fast-forwardbutton). Requiring a user to touch a button may be burdensome, as itoften require a use of two hands (e.g., one hand to hold the device andone hand to touch the button). Furthermore, display of control buttonstypically obscures the media asset itself, which is undesirable. Touchinput on a flexible screen may also be unreliable because a user touchmay accidentally deform the screen instead of making a touch selection.

Accordingly, method and systems described herein leveragefunctionalities of electronic devices (e.g., mobile electronic device orwearable electronic devices) with flexible screens to solve theaforementioned problems by providing an electronic device with acapability to select portions of the screen, select moving objects, andcontrol presentation of media assets based on properties of thecurvature of the flexible screen. In some embodiments, an electronicdevice detects properties of the curvature of the flexible screen (e.g.,after the display was bent by the user) and performs an appropriate userinterface action using techniques describe in more detail below.Advantageously, these techniques may be performed solely by analyzingthe curvature of the flexible screen and without requiring any kind of atouch input from the user.

In one embodiment, to accomplish a selection of a portion of a screen, auser may simply bend the flexible screen. The user interface applicationmay then select a portion of a screen centered around the vertex of thecurvature of the screen. Additionally, the size of the selected portionmay be proportional to the degree of the curvature. In anotherembodiment, to accomplish a selection of a moving object, the user maybend the display such that the vertex of curvature of the screen tracksthe location of the object. The user interface application may detectthat the vertex of curvature tracks a location of a displayed object andselect that object. In yet another embodiment, the user interfaceapplication checks the curvature of the flexible screen during apresentation of a media asset to control presentation direction andpresentation speed for the media asset. For example, if the screen isbent out of a top plane of the screen, the user interface applicationmay play the media asset backwards, while if the screen is bent into thetop plane of the screen the media asset may play the media assetforwards. Additionally, when the curvature of the display is high, theuser interface application may play the media asset at a high speed,while when the curvature of the display is low, the user interfaceapplication may play the media asset at a low speed.

A user interface application of an electronic device detects curvatureof a flexible screen. The user interface application analyzes propertiesof the curvature. For example, the user interface application mayanalyze values provided by a plurality of sensors that measure strainacross different portions of the flexible screen to acquire propertiesof the curvature. In some embodiments, the user interface applicationdetermines a vertex point of the curvature as the part of the screenthat is bent the most (e.g., a part of screen with highest associatedstrain measurement). The user interface application may also determine adegree of the curvature of the flexible screen. For example, the degreeof the curvature may be calculated based on a radius of the curvature(e.g., a small radius may indicate a sharp bend, while a large radiusmay indicate a shallow bend). The user interface application may alsodetermine the direction of the curvature. For example, the userinterface application may determine if the screen is bent in or bentout, and whether the screen is bent horizontally or vertically. In someembodiments, the determined properties may be used by the user interfaceapplication to accomplish user interface tasks without requiring anykind of touch input from the user.

The user interface application may rely on properties of the curve ofthe screen to provide a capability of selecting a portion of the screen.For example, the user interface application may select a portion of thescreen centered around a vertex point of the curvature of the flexiblescreen. The size of the selected portion may also depend on how sharpthe curve is. For example, the user interface application may select aportion of screen that is inversely proportional to the degree ofcurvature. That is, a sharp curve may result in a selection of narrowportion of the screen, while a shallow curve may result in a selectionof a broad portion of the screen. In some embodiments, the userinterface application highlights the selected portion. For example, acolor of the selected portion may be changed. In another example, anoutline may be drawn around the selected portion.

In one embodiment, the user interface application determines that anobject is being displayed at the vertex point of the curvature. The userinterface application may adjust the selected region based on a size ofthe object. For example, if the selected portion of the screen wouldotherwise exclude some parts of the objects, user interface applicationmay adjust the selected portion of the screen to encompass the entiretyof the object.

Once the portion of the screen is selected, the user interfaceapplication may display a menu of contextual actions relevant to theselected area. For example, a menu may be displayed offering options to:take a screenshot of the selected area, to apply a filter to theselected area, or to delete an image in the selected area. In responseto a user selection of an action, the user interface applicationperforms the contextual action.

The user interface application may cancel the selection of the portionof the display. For example, if the degree of the curvature drops belowa threshold (e.g., due to the user no longer bending the screen), theuser interface application may unselect the portion of the display. Theuser interface application may also remove the highlighting once theunselecting occurs. In some embodiments, if curvature of the screenchanges, the user interface application changes the selected portion ofthe screen based on the new properties of the curvature.

In one embodiment, to accomplish a selection of a moving object, theuser may bend the flexible screen such that the vortex of the bendtracks the moving object. The user interface application may identifythat an object is generated for display at a first vertex point of theflexible screen. Then, at later time, the user interface applicationidentifies the same object being generated for display at a secondvertex point of the flexible screen different from the first vertexpoint. As a result, the user interface application selects that object.In some embodiments, the user interface application also highlights theselected object. For example, the user interface application may changethe color of the selected object. In some embodiments, the object isselected only when the distance between the first vertex point and thesecond vertex points is less than a threshold distance. The thresholddistance may depend on the size of the object. This may be done toprevent selection of an object that is not intended by the user.Sometimes more than one object may be present at a position of the firstvertex point. In this case, the user interface application may selectthe object that is the most prominent.

Once the object of the screen is selected, user interface applicationmay display a menu of contextual actions relevant to the selectedobject. For example, a menu may be displayed offering options: to copythe object, to apply a filter to the selected object, or to delete theobject. In response to a user selection of an action, the user interfaceapplication performs the contextual action.

In some embodiments, the electronic device includes motors or actuatorscapable of bending the display. In this case, once the object isselected, the user interface application may continue to bend the screen(without further effort from the user) such that the vertex of curvaturecorresponds to the location of the moving object on the display afterthe object moves past the second vertex point.

The user interface application may rely on properties of the curvatureof the screen to control a presentation of a media asset on the screen.For example, the user interface application may rewind or fast-forwardthe media asset based on the curvature of the flexible screen. Forexample, if the screen is bent by the user into the top plane of thedisplay, the user interface application fast-forwards the media asset.In another example, if the screen is bent by the user out of the topplane of the display, the user interface application rewinds the mediaasset. In another example, a vertical bend results in a fast-forward,while a horizontal bend results in a rewind.

In some embodiments, the user interface application also controls thespeed of the presentation of the media asset based on the degree ofcurvature of the screen. For example, sharper bends may result in fasterrewinds or fast-forwards, while shallowed bends may result in slowerrewinds or fast-forwards. The user interface application may also adjustthe speed of the rewind based on the genre. For example, the samecurvature may result in different speeds for action scenes and forromantic scenes. In an additional embodiment, the user interfaceapplication may pause the media asset when it detects curvature of thescreen rapidly changing in and out. In another additional embodiment,the user interface application may skip a scene of a media asset when itdetects a screen being rapidly bent and unbent in the same direction.

The user interface may also control the presentation position of themedia asset based on the location of the vertex point of the curvature.For example, the user may bend the screen such that the vertex of thecurvature is centered over a desired presentation position of the mediaasset (e.g., as shown by a control bar). The user interface applicationmay then present the media asset from the desired presentation position.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other objects and advantages of the disclosure will beapparent upon consideration of the following detailed description, takenin conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like referencecharacters refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIG. 1 shows an illustrative example of a selection of a region of aflexible screen based on a degree of curvature of a flexible screen, inaccordance with some embodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 2 shows an illustrative example of a selection of a moving objecton a flexible screen, in accordance with some embodiments of thedisclosure;

FIG. 3A shows an illustrative example of controlling presentation of amedia asset based on a detected curvature of a flexible screen, inaccordance with some embodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 3B shows another illustrative example of controlling presentationof a media asset based on a detected curvature of a flexible screen, inaccordance with some embodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 4 shows an illustrative system for detecting user input on aflexible screen, in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 5 shows an illustrative flowchart for selecting a region of aflexible screen based on a degree of curvature of the flexible screen,in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 6 shows an illustrative flowchart for identifying a degree ofcurvature of a flexible screen based on a plurality of strainmeasurements across the flexible screen, in accordance with someembodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 7 shows an illustrative flowchart for selecting a region of theflexible screen including an object displayed on the flexible screen, inaccordance with some embodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 8 shows an illustrative flowchart for highlighting a region of theflexible screen, in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 9 shows an illustrative flowchart for adjusting the selected regionof a display, in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 10 shows an illustrative flowchart for selecting a moving object,in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 11 shows an illustrative flowchart for automatically adjustingcurvature of a flexible screen, in accordance with some embodiments ofthe disclosure; and

FIG. 12 shows an illustrative flowchart for selecting presentationdirection and speed for a media asset, in accordance with someembodiments of the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 shows an illustrative example 100 of a selection of a region of aflexible screen based on a degree of curvature of a flexible screen. Insome embodiments, the steps described in this example are performed by auser interface application. The user interface application may beexecuting on an electronic device (e.g., smartphone of the user) thatincludes flexible screen.

In example 100, a user may bend the flexible screen of an electronicdevice to accomplish a selection of a certain portion of the screen. Theuser may bend the screen a certain way to select a portion of screen 102containing an image of a person. In another example, the user may bendthe screen a certain way to select a portion of screen 110 containing animage of a car. The user interface application may select a portion ofthe flexible screen based on the detected vertex point of curvature ofthe flexible screen and based on the degree of curvature of the flexiblescreen. The vertex point and degree of curvature may be determined usingan array of strain sensors. An exemplary description of thisdetermination is provided below in connection with FIG. 6 .

The user may deform screen 102 to create a sharp bend, such that screen102 becomes a curved screen 104. The user interface applicationdetermines that screen 104 includes a vertex point 106. For example, theuser interface application may determine that screen 104 is bent themost at point 106 and designate that location as a vertex point. Theuser interface application may also determine the degree of curvature ofscreen 104. For example, the user interface application may calculatethe radius of the curve of screen 104. In example 100, the radius ofcurve of the screen 104 is low (e.g., 1.5 inches), which may correspondto a high degree of curvature. The user interface application may thenselect area 106 of screen 104 that is inversely proportional in size tothe degree of curvature. For example, the length of area 108 may be ½ ofthe radius of the curve. In this example, the user interface applicationmay select area 106 (e.g., an area that has a length of 0.75 inches).Once area 106 is selected, it may be highlighted.

The user may deform screen 110 to create a shallow bend, such thatscreen 110 becomes a curved screen 114. The user interface applicationdetermines that screen 114 includes a vertex point 116. For example, theuser interface application may determine that screen 104 is bent themost at point 116 and designate that location as a vertex point. Theuser interface application may also determine the degree of curvature ofscreen 114. For example, the user interface application may calculatethe radius of the curve of screen 114. In example 100, the radius of thecurve of the screen 104 is high (e.g., 4 inches), which may correspondto a low degree of curvature. The user interface application may thenselect area 116 of screen 114 that is inversely proportional to thedegree of curvature. For example, the length of the area 116 may be ½ ofthe radius of the curve. In this example, the user interface applicationmay select area 116 (e.g., an area that has length of 2 inches). Oncearea 112 is selected, it may be highlighted.

Once area 108 or area 112 is selected, it may be further adjusted basedon presence (or partial presence) of objects in the respective area. Forexample, the user interface application may automatically adjust area108 to fully contain an image of a person as shown in FIG. 1 . Inanother example, the user interface application may automatically adjustarea 108 to fully contain an image of a car as shown in FIG. 1 . In someembodiments, instead of (or in addition to) adjusting the area, the userinterface application highlights the relevant object. For example, theuser interface application may determine that area 108 contains an imageof a person and may further highlight that image. In another example,the user interface application may determine that area 112 contains animage of a car and may further highlight that image.

In some embodiments, the user interface application performs an actionrelated to the selected area (e.g., area 108 or area 112) or to anobject in that area. For example, the user interface application mayautomatically filter or crop the selected area or the object. The userinterface application may also generate for display a menu of contextualactions (e.g., overlaid over area 108 or 112) related to the area or tothe object. For example, the user interface application may display amenu allowing a user to: take a screenshot of the selected area, toapply a filter to the selected are, or to delete an object from theselected area. A user may select the action, resulting in the actionbeing performed by the user interface application.

The user interface application may deselect the area 108 or 112 afterdetermining that the degree of curvature of the screen 104 or 114 hasdecreased below a certain threshold (for example, due to the user nolonger deforming the screen). When the degree of curvature of the screen104 or 114 falls below the threshold (e.g., when a radius of the curvebecomes larger than 6 inches), the user interface application maydeselect area 108 or area 112. For example, user interface applicationmay remove highlight from the selected area.

The user interface may also change the selected area if the vertex pointor the degree of the curvature of the flexible screen changes. Forexample, if vertex point 106 was determined at the first time, the userinterface application may determine that a second vertex point is at adifferent part of screen at a different time. The user interfaceapplication may then select and highlight a new portion of screen 104based on the second vertex point position and based on curvature of theflexible screen at the different time.

FIG. 2 shows an illustrative example 200 of a selection of a movingobject on a flexible screen. In some embodiments, the steps described inthis example are performed by a user interface application. The userinterface application may be executing on an electronic device (e.g.,smartphone of the user) that includes flexible screen.

In example 100, a user may bend the flexible screen of an electronicdevice to accomplish a selection of moving object on the flexible screenwithout a need to pause the media asset being presented on the screen.The user may bend the screen to track a position of a moving object(e.g., a car.) For example, when car is in a first position on a screen202, at a first time, the user may bend the screen 208 such that vertexpoint 204 of the curve is positioned over the car. When the car is in asecond position on screen 210, at a second time, the user may bend thescreen 216 such that vertex point 212 of the curve is also positionedover the car.

At a first time, the user interface application determines a position offirst vertex point 204 of screen 208. The user interface application mayalso identify that first vertex point 204 intersects an image of a car.At a second time, the user interface application determines a positionof second vertex point 212 of screen 216. The user interface applicationmay also identify that vertex point 212 still intersects an image of acar that has moved across the screen. In response, the user interfaceapplication selects the moving car. The user interface application mayalso highlight the selected object. The user interface application mayalso highlight the area of the screen that contains the car (e.g.,portion 214).

In some embodiments, the user interface application accounts for usertracking of the moving object being imprecise. For example, vertex point212 may be certain distance away from the car. The user interfaceapplication may compute the distance between the position of the car andthe position of vertex point 212. The user interface application mayalso determine that the second position of the flexible screencorresponds to second vertex point 212 if the distance is below acalculated maximum distance. The calculated maximum distance may beinversely proportional to the size of the object. That is, more room forerror may be given to a user trying to select a small moving object thanto a user trying to a select a large moving object.

The user interface application may determine that multiple objects arepresented at the position of first vertex point 204 (e.g., a car andperson). In some embodiments, user interface application selects theobject that is the most prominent (i.e., an object that has the mostpixels).

In some embodiments, the user interface application performs an actionrelated to the selected object. For example, the user interfaceapplication may automatically filter or crop the selected object. Theuser interface application may also generate for display a menu ofcontextual actions (e.g., overlaid over the car). For example, the userinterface application may display a menu allowing a user to: take ascreenshot of the selected object, to apply a filter to the selectedobject, or to delete the selected object. A user may select the action,resulting in the action being performed by the user interfaceapplication.

Electronic device 400 may include motors or actuators capable of bendingthe flexible screen without user action. In this case, once the object(e.g., the car) is selected, the user interface application may continueto bend the screen (without further effort from the user) such that thevertex of curvature corresponds to the location of the moving object onthe display after the object moves past the second vertex point. Forexample, screen 218, at a third time, may display the car that wasselected as shown on screen 216. The user interface application mayautomatically bend the flexible screen 222 using the motors or actuatorssuch that vertex point 220 is still centered over the car. This mayprovide haptic feedback to the user letting the user know that the caris still selected.

FIG. 3A shows an illustrative example 300 of a controlling presentationof a media asset based on a detected curvature of a flexible screen. Insome embodiments, the steps described in this example are performed by auser interface application. The user interface application may beexecuting on an electronic device (e.g., smartphone of the user) thatincludes flexible screen.

In example 300, a user may bend the flexible screen of an electronicdevice to control presentation of the media asset on the screen of anelectronic device. In some embodiments, the user interface applicationmay determine a direction of a curvature of the flexible screen andpresent the media asset on the flexible screen based on the selectedmedia asset presentation direction.

For example, a media asset may be presented on screen 302 at regularspeed. Then, the user interface application determines that screen 304is bent out of the top plane of the flexible screen.

In response, the user interface application may begin fast-forwardingthe media asset. In another embodiment, the user interface applicationdetermines that screen 304 is bent vertically. In response, the userinterface application may begin fast-forwarding the media asset.

In another example, a media asset may be presented on screen 308 atregular speed. Then, the user interface application may determine thatscreen 310 is bent into the top plane of the flexible screen. Inresponse, the user interface application may begin rewinding the mediaasset. In another embodiment, the user interface application determinesthat screen 310 is bent horizontally. In response, the user interfaceapplication may begin rewinding the media asset.

In some embodiments, the user interface application also uses the degreeof curvature to control the speed of the presentation of the mediaasset. For example, the user interface application may determine thatscreen 304 has a shallow bend (e.g., the radius of the curve is largerthan 5 inches). In this case the media asset may be presented at 2×speed. In another example, interface application may determine thatscreen 310 has a sharp bend (e.g., the radius of the curve is largerthan 2 inches). In this case, the media asset may be presented at 4×speed. In some embodiments, the user interface application selects apresentation speed that is proportional to the degree of the curvature.That is, the harder the user bends the screen, the faster the mediaasset is presented by the user interface application.

In some embodiments, the user rapidly bends the display in and out ofthe top plane of the screen to pause the presentation of the mediaasset. When the user interface application detects direction of thecurvature of the flexible screen being changed within a predeterminedmaximum time (e.g., 1 second), the user interface application may pausethe presentation of the media asset. In some embodiments, the user mayrapidly bend the display and return it to flat state to skip a portionof the media asset. In some embodiments, when the user interfaceapplication detects curvature of the flexible screen being createdmultiple times within a predetermined maximum time (e.g., 1 second), theuser interface application skips though the current scene of the mediaasset.

In some embodiments, the user interface application selects apresentation position of the media asset based on the vertex point ofthe curvature of the screen. For example, the user interface applicationmay detect that position 306 of the vertex point is positioned over acontrol bar displayed on the screen. In this case, the user interfaceapplication presents the media from the position corresponding to point306 of the control bar.

FIG. 3B shows another illustrative example 350 of controllingpresentation of a media asset based on a detected curvature of aflexible screen. In some embodiments, the steps described in thisexample are performed by a user interface application. The userinterface application may be executing on an electronic device (e.g.,smartphone of the user) that includes flexible screen.

In example 350, a user may bend the flexible screen of an electronicdevice to control presentation of a media asset on a screen of anelectronic device. In some embodiments, the flexible screen 352 isdivided into several virtual sections, each section corresponding to itsown presentation speed and presentation direction. For example, section354 may correspond to rewinding at 8× speed, section 356 may correspondto rewinding at 4× speed, and section 358 may correspond to rewinding at2× speed. Additionally, section 360 may correspond to fast forwarding at2× speed, section 362 may correspond to fast forwarding at 4× speed, andsection 364 may correspond to fast forwarding at 8× speed. In someembodiments, sections 354-364 are invisible to the user. In someembodiments, sections 354-364 are shown to the user upon request. Forexample, sections 354-364 may be shown to the user as divided by dashedlines in response to a user pressing a “help” icon. In some embodiments,when the screen is not bent, the user interface application presents themedia content in a forward direction at 1× speed.

The user may bend the flexible screen such that the vertex point isformed in one of sections 354-364. The user interface application thenselects presentation speed and direction based on the location of thevertex point. For example, user interface application may detect thatflexible screen 370 includes vertex point 372 that is located in section362. In response, the user interface application presents the mediaasset as being fast forwarded at 4× speed. In another example, userinterface application detects that flexible screen 380 includes vertexpoint 382 that is located in section 356. In response, user interfaceapplication may present the media asset as being rewound at 4× speed.

The media asset may be an electronically consumable user asset, such astelevision programming, as well as pay-per-view programs, on-demandprograms (as in video-on-demand (VOD) systems), Internet content (e.g.,streaming content, downloadable content, Webcasts, etc.), video clips,audio, content information, pictures, rotating images, documents,playlists, websites, articles, books, electronic books, blogs, chatsessions, social media, applications, games, and/or any other media ormultimedia and/or combination of the same.

Electronic device 400 may be any device for accessing the contentdescribed above, such as a television, a Smart TV, a set-top box, anintegrated receiver decoder (IRD) for handling satellite television, adigital storage device, a digital media receiver (DMR), a digital mediaadapter (DMA), a streaming electronic device, a DVD player, a DVDrecorder, a connected DVD, a local media server, a BLU-RAY player, aBLU-RAY recorder, a personal computer (PC), a laptop computer, a tabletcomputer, a WebTV box, a personal computer television (PC/TV), a PCmedia server, a PC media center, a hand-held computer, a stationarytelephone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a mobile telephone, aportable video player, a portable music player, a portable gamingmachine, a smart phone, or any other television equipment, computingequipment, or wireless device, and/or combination of the same.

FIG. 4 shows a generalized embodiment of illustrative electronic device400. As depicted, electronic device 400 may be a smartphone or tablet.Electronic device 400 may receive content and data via input/output(hereinafter “I/O”) path 402. I/O path 402 may provide content (e.g.,broadcast programming, on-demand programming, Internet content, contentavailable over a local area network (LAN) or wide area network (WAN),and/or other content) and data to control circuitry 404, which includesprocessing circuitry 406 and storage 408. Control circuitry 404 may beused to send and receive commands, requests, and other suitable datausing I/O path 402. I/O path 402 may connect control circuitry 404 (andspecifically processing circuitry 406) to one or more communicationspaths (described below). I/O functions may be provided by one or more ofthese communications paths, but are shown as a single path in FIG. 4 toavoid overcomplicating the drawing.

Control circuitry 404 may be based on any suitable processing circuitrysuch as processing circuitry 406. As referred to herein, processingcircuitry should be understood to mean circuitry based on one or moremicroprocessors, microcontrollers, digital signal processors,programmable logic devices, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs),application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), etc., and may includea multi-core processor (e.g., dual-core, quad-core, hexa-core, or anysuitable number of cores) or supercomputer. In some embodiments,processing circuitry is distributed across multiple separate processorsor processing units, for example, multiple of the same type ofprocessing units (e.g., two Intel Core i7 processors) or multipledifferent processors (e.g., an Intel Core i5 processor and an Intel Corei7 processor). In some embodiments, control circuitry 404 executesinstructions for a user interface application stored in memory (i.e.,storage 408). Specifically, control circuitry 404 may be instructed bythe user interface application to perform the functions discussed aboveand below.

In client-server based embodiments, control circuitry 404 may includecommunications circuitry suitable for communicating with a userinterface application server or other networks or servers. Theinstructions for carrying out the above-mentioned functionality may bestored on a server. Communications circuitry may include a cable modem,an integrated services digital network (ISDN) modem, a digitalsubscriber line (DSL) modem, a telephone modem, Ethernet card, or awireless modem for communications with other equipment, or any othersuitable communications circuitry. Such communications may involve theInternet or any other suitable communications networks or paths. Inaddition, communications circuitry may include circuitry that enablespeer-to-peer communication of electronic devices, or communication ofelectronic devices in locations remote from each other.

Memory may be an electronic storage device provided as storage 408 thatis part of control circuitry 404. As referred to herein, the phrase“electronic storage device” or “storage device” should be understood tomean any device for storing electronic data, computer software, orfirmware, such as random-access memory, read-only memory, hard drives,optical drives, digital video disc (DVD) recorders, compact disc (CD)recorders, BLU-RAY disc (BD) recorders, BLU-RAY 3D disc recorders,digital video recorders (DVRs, sometimes called a personal videorecorders, or PVRs), solid state devices, quantum storage devices,gaming consoles, gaming media, or any other suitable fixed or removablestorage devices, and/or any combination of the same. Nonvolatile memorymay also be used (e.g., to launch a boot-up routine and otherinstructions). Cloud-based storage may be used to supplement storage 408or instead of storage 408.

Control circuitry 404 may include tuning circuitry, such as one or moreanalog tuners, one or more MP3 decoders or other digital decodingcircuitry, or any other suitable tuning or audio circuits orcombinations of such circuits. Encoding circuitry (e.g., for convertingover-the-air, analog, or digital signals to audio signals for storage)may also be provided. Control circuitry 404 may also include scalercircuitry for upconverting and downconverting content into the preferredoutput format of the user equipment 400. Circuitry 404 may also includedigital-to-analog converter circuitry and analog-to-digital convertercircuitry for converting between digital and analog signals. The tuningand encoding circuitry may be used by the electronic device to receiveand to display, to play, or to record content. The tuning and encodingcircuitry may also be used to receive guidance data. The circuitrydescribed herein, including for example, the tuning, audio generating,encoding, decoding, encrypting, decrypting, scaler, and analog/digitalcircuitry, may be implemented using software running on one or moregeneral purpose or specialized processors. Multiple tuners may beprovided to handle simultaneous tuning functions. If storage 408 isprovided as a separate device from user equipment 400, the tuning andencoding circuitry (including multiple tuners) may be associated withstorage 408.

A user may send instructions to control circuitry 404 using user inputinterface 410 of electronic device 400 or user touch input 420 ofelectronic device 400. User input interface 410 may be any suitable userinterface, such as a remote control, mouse, trackball, keypad, keyboard,touch screen, touchpad, stylus input, joystick, voice recognitioninterface, or other user input interfaces. Display 412 may be atouchscreen or touch-sensitive display. In such circumstances, userinput interface 410 may be integrated with or combined with flexiblescreen 422. Flexible screen 422 may be configured to be bent orotherwise deformed by the user. For example, flexible screen 422 may bebent into or out of the plane of the display 412. In some embodiments,flexible screen 422 may be bent horizontally or vertically. Flexiblescreen 422 may be bent at any point along the screen.

Speakers 414 may be provided as integrated with other elements ofelectronic device 400. In the case of electronic device 400, speakers418 may be stand-alone units (e.g., smart speakers). The audio componentof videos and other content displayed on display 412 may be playedthrough speakers 418. In some embodiments, the audio may be distributedto a receiver (not shown), which processes and outputs the audio viaspeakers 418.

The user interface application may be implemented using any suitablearchitecture. For example, it may be a stand-alone application whollyimplemented on electronic device 400. The user interface applicationand/or any instructions for performing any of the embodiments discussedherein may be encoded on computer readable media. Computer readablemedia includes any media capable of storing data. In some embodiments,the user interface application is a client server based application.Data for use by a thick or thin client implemented on electronic device400 is retrieved on-demand by issuing requests to a server remote to theelectronic device 400 or electronic device 400, respectively. Forexample, electronic device 400 may receive inputs from the user viainput interface 410 and transmit those inputs to the remote server forprocessing and generating the corresponding outputs. The generatedoutput is then transmitted to electronic device 400 for presentation tothe user. In some embodiments, input interface 410 may include strainsensors 416. Strain sensors 416 may be arranged in a grid aroundflexible screen 422. Strain sensors 416 may detect strain values atdifferent points of flexible screen 422. In some embodiments, controlcircuitry 406 is configured to analyze strain values provided by strainsensors 416 to determine properties of flexible screen 422. For example,control circuitry 406 may determine direction of the curvature, degreeof curvature, and position of the vertex point of the curvature.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a detailed illustrative process 500 forselecting a region of a flexible screen based on a degree of curvatureof the flexible screen. Process 500 may be executed by control circuitry404 (e.g., in a manner instructed to control circuitry 404 by the userinterface application). Control circuitry 404 may be a part ofelectronic device (e.g., electronic device 400).

At 502, control circuitry 404 determines a degree of a curvature of aflexible screen. Control circuitry 404 may determine the degree ofcurvature using strain sensors 416. For example, control circuitry 404may determine that the radius of curvature of a flexible screen is 2inches. At 504, control circuitry 404 may detect a vertex point of thecurvature of the flexible screen. For example, control circuitry 404 maydetermine that position 106 of FIG. 1 is the vertex point of flexiblescreen 104. In some embodiments, the point with the highest strainmeasurements is the vertex point.

At 506, control circuitry 404 may select a region of the flexible screencentered at the vertex point, based on the degree of the curvature ofthe flexible display, where a size of the selected region isproportional to the degree of the curvature of the flexible screen. Forexample, control circuitry 404 may access a formula for computing thelength of the region based on the degree of the curvature. In someembodiments, sharper curves results in a smaller area being selected,while a shallow curve results in a larger region being selected. In someembodiments, the lengths of the selected region may be ½ or ¾ of theradius of the curvature of the flexible display. Any other formula mayalso be used.

At 508, control circuitry 404 may highlight the selected region. Forexample, control circuitry 404 may adjust the color of the selectedregion (e.g., by tinting it with yellow color.) In another embodiment,control circuitry 404 draws an outline (e.g., a red box) around theselected region.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a detailed illustrative process 600 foridentifying a degree of curvature of a flexible screen based on aplurality of strain measurements across the flexible screen. Process 600may be executed by control circuitry 404 (e.g., in a manner instructedto control circuitry 404 by the user interface application). Controlcircuitry 404 may be a part of an electronic device (e.g., electronicdevice 400).

At 602, control circuitry 404 may receive strain measurements from aplurality of strain sensors (e.g., sensors 416) located across differentrespective portions of the flexible screen. In some embodiments, a tableof strain measurements is provided with a strain measurement providedfor each corresponding pixel of the flexible screen. An exemplary table(Table 1) is provided below showing exemplary strain measurements for ascreen with 20 pixels. One skilled in the art would understand thatsimilar tables may be used for screens with any number of pixels. Inthis embodiment, strain is measured as a percentage of a maximumpossible strain.

TABLE 1 Column 1 Column 2 Column 3 Column 4 Column 5 Row 1 50% 70% 50%20% 0% Row 2 50% 70% 50% 20% 0% Row 3 50% 70% 50% 20% 0% Row 4 50% 70%50% 20% 0%

At 604, control circuitry 404 may identify a greatest strain measurementof the plurality of strain measurements. For example, using Table 1,control circuitry 404 may determine that column 2 has the highest strainmeasurement. At 606, control circuitry 404 may check whether thegreatest strain measurement exceeds a predefined value (e.g., 5%). Thismay be done because low amount of strain may naturally occur evenwithout a user action. If the greatest strain measurement exceeds apredefined value, process 600 may proceed to steps 608 and 610;otherwise process 600 proceeds to step 612. At 612, process 600 maytimeout for a short period of time (e.g., 1 second) and continueanalyzing strain measurements at 602.

At 618, control circuitry 404 may compute a direction of the curvatureof the flexible screen based on the plurality of strain measurements(e.g., based on Table 1). For example, positive values (as seen inTable 1) may be indicative of curvature being directed out of the planeof the screen. Negative values (e.g., as showing in Table 2 below), maybe indicative of curvature being directed into the plane of the screen.

TABLE 2 Column 1 Column 2 Column 3 Column 4 Column 5 Row 1  −5%  −5% −5%  −5%  −5% Row 2 −30% −30% −30% −30% −30% Row 3 −60% −60% −60% −60%−60% Row 4 −30% −30% −30% −30% −30%

Additionally, control circuitry 404 may detect whether the screen isbent horizontally or vertically. For example, Table 1 may be indicativeof a horizontal bend because strain values change across columns, butnot rows. In another example, Table 2 may be indicative of a verticalbend because strain values change across rows, but not columns.

At 610, control circuitry 404 may compute a degree of curvature of theflexible screen based on the plurality of strain measurements. Forexample, control circuitry 404 may use values from Table 1 to perform acircular fit and determine a radius of a circle that would most closelymatch the values of, for example, Row 1 of Table 1. For example, controlcircuitry 404 may determine that a circle with a radius of 2 inchesmatches the values of Row 1 of Table 1 the best. The degree of thecurvature is then determined based on the radius.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of a detailed illustrative process 700 forselecting a region of the flexible display including an object displayedon the flexible screen. Process 700 may be executed by control circuitry404 (e.g., in a manner instructed to control circuitry 404 by the userinterface application). Control circuitry 404 may be a part of anelectronic device (e.g., electronic device 400).

At 702, control circuitry 404 may identify a plurality of objectsgenerated for display in the selected region of the flexible screen(e.g., region 106 of region 116 of FIG. 1 ). For example, controlcircuitry 404 may access metadata of objects currently being displayed,and determine that the locations of some objects match the selectedregion of the flexible screen.

At 704, control circuitry 404 may check (for each object) whetherlocation of an object of the plurality of objects is within apredetermined distance (e.g., 0.1 inches) of a vertex point of thecurvature of the flexible screen. If so, process 700 may proceed to 716,where control circuitry 404 may select the object corresponding to thevertex point of the curvature of the flexible screen. Otherwise, controlcircuitry 404 may proceed to step 708. At 708, control circuitry 404 mayidentify a most prominent object of the plurality of objects. Forexample, the object with most pixels may be identified as mostprominent. Then, at 710, control circuitry 404 may select the mostprominent object.

At 712, control circuitry 404 may highlight a region of the flexiblescreen corresponding to the selected object. For example, controlcircuitry 404 may change the color of pixels of the relevant region ofthe flexible screen. In another example, control circuitry 404 may drawan outline around the relevant region of the flexible screen.

At 714, control circuitry 404 may identify an action corresponding tothe selected object. For example, control circuitry 404 may display amenu on screen 422 (e.g., overlaid over the selected object). Forexample, a menu may include options to take a screenshot of the selectedobject, to apply a filter to the selected object, or to delete theselected object. At 716, in response to user selection of an action,control circuitry 404 performs the selected action. For example, controlcircuitry 404 may apply a filter to the selected object or delete theselected object.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of a detailed illustrative process 800 forhighlighting a region of the flexible screen. Process 800 may beexecuted by control circuitry 404 (e.g., in a manner instructed tocontrol circuitry 404 by the user interface application). Controlcircuitry 404 may be a part of an electronic device (e.g., electronicdevice 400).

At 802, control circuitry 404 may retrieve a highlight color (e.g.,yellow or green). In some embodiments, the color is selected by a user.At 804, control circuitry 404 retrieves a color associated with apreviously unselected pixel from a plurality of pixels associated with aselected region of the flexible screen. For example, control circuitry404 may start by retrieving the color of the topmost, leftmost pixel. At806, control circuitry 404 modifies the color associated with thepreviously unselected pixel (chosen at 804) based on the highlightcolor. For example, the retrieved color may be mixed with the highlightcolor. At 810, control circuitry 404 checks if pixels in the selectedregion have been processed. If not, the process may continue at 804,until all pixels have been processed. Once that happens, process 800proceeds to the end at step 812.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart of a detailed illustrative process 900 foradjusting the selected region of a display. Process 900 may be executedby control circuitry 404 (e.g., in a manner instructed to controlcircuitry 404 by the user interface application). Control circuitry 404may be a part of an electronic device (e.g., electronic device 400).

At 902, control circuitry 404 may identify an object generated fordisplay in the selected region (e.g., selected as part of step 506 ofFIG. 5 ) of the flexible screen. For example, control circuitry 404 mayaccess metadata of the object and determine that at least some pixels ofthe object intersect the selected region. In some embodiments, controlcircuitry 404 identifies the object only if more than a threshold (e.g.,75%) number of pixels of the object are inside the selected region. At904, control circuitry 404 may determine the dimensions of the object.For example, control circuitry 404 may determine the furthest extent ofpixels of the object.

At 906, control circuitry 404 may check whether portions of the objectare outside of the selected region. For example, control circuitry 404may determine whether any pixels of the object are outside the selectedregion. If no such pixels are found, process 900 may end at 908.Otherwise, process 900 continues at 910.

At 910, control circuitry 404 may adjust the size of the selected regionto match the dimensions of the object. For example, control circuitry404 may enlarge the selected region such that all pixels of the objectsare within the region.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart of a detailed illustrative process 1000 forselecting a moving object on a flexible display. Process 1000 may beexecuted by control circuitry 404 (e.g., in a manner instructed tocontrol circuitry 404 by the user interface application). Controlcircuitry 404 may be a part of an electronic device (e.g., electronicdevice 400).

At 1002, control circuitry 404 may identify a first vertex point of acurvature of the flexible screen at a first time. For example, controlcircuitry 404 may identify vertex 204 of FIG. 2 at a time associatedwith a time stamp 0:00. At 1004, control circuitry 404 may identify, atthe first time (e.g., time 0:00), an object generated for display at afirst position of the flexible screen corresponding to the first vertexpoint. For example, the car of FIG. 2 may be detected to be located atvertex 204.

At 1004, control circuitry 404 may identify a second vertex point of acurvature of the flexible screen at a second time. For example, controlcircuitry 404 may identify vertex 212 of FIG. 2 at a second (e.g., timeassociated with a time stamp 0:02). At 1008, control circuitry 404 maycheck whether the identified object (e.g., the object identified at step1004) is generated for display at the second position of the flexiblescreen that corresponds to the second vertex point. If not, process 1000may end at 1012. Otherwise, process 1000 may continue at 1010.

At 1010, control circuitry 404 may select the identified object (e.g.,due to detecting that the user is bending the screen to track the movingobject). In some embodiments, control circuitry 404 also highlights aregion associated with the object (e.g., as described in FIG. 8 ). Insome embodiments, control circuitry 404 may perform an action associatedwith the object (e.g., as described in steps 714-716.)

FIG. 11 is a flowchart of a detailed illustrative process 1100 forautomatically adjusting curvature of a flexible screen. Process 1100 maybe executed by control circuitry 404 (e.g., in a manner instructed tocontrol circuitry 404 by the user interface application). Controlcircuitry 404 may be a part of an electronic device (e.g., electronicdevice 400). In some embodiments, process 1100 is performed immediatelyafter process 1000.

At 1102, control circuitry 404 may check whether the selected object(e.g., the object selected at step 1010) is generated for display at athird position different from the second position (e.g., the positionidentified at step 1008) at a third time (e.g., at time 0:04). If theposition of the object has not changed, process 1102 proceeds to 1104,where control circuitry 404 continues highlighting the object at thesecond position of the flexible screen. Otherwise, process 1100 proceedsto step 1106.

At 1106, control circuitry 404 may check whether a vertex point of thecurvature of the flexible display corresponds to the third position. Ifso, control circuitry 404 proceeds to 1112. Otherwise, process 1100proceeds to 1108 and 1104.

At 1108, control circuitry 404 may adjust the curvature of the flexiblescreen to remove the second vertex point corresponding to the secondposition. For example, control circuitry 404 may actuate engines of theflexible screen 416 to flatten the flexible screen. At 1114, controlcircuitry 404 may adjust a curvature of the flexible screen to include athird vertex point corresponding to the third position. For example,control circuitry 404 may actuate engines of the flexible screen 416 tocreate a vertex at the third location. At 1112, control circuitry 404may adjust the highlighting to correspond to the location of the objectat the third position of the flexible screen.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart of a detailed illustrative process 1200 forselecting presentation direction and speed for a media asset. Process1200 may be executed by control circuitry 404 (e.g., in a mannerinstructed to control circuitry 404 by the user interface application).Control circuitry 404 may be a part of an electronic device (e.g.,electronic device 400). In some embodiments, process 1200 is performedwhile the electronic device is presenting a media asset to a user (e.g.,as shown in FIG. 3A)

At 1202, control circuitry 404 retrieves a plurality of strain valuescorresponding to a plurality of strain values across different portionsof the flexible screen. For example, control circuitry 404 may retrievea plurality of strain values from strain sensors 416 (e.g., as shown inTable 1). At 1204, control circuitry 404 may determine a vertex point ofthe curvature of the flexible screen based on the retrieved plurality ofstrain values. At 1206, control circuitry 404 may determine a directionof the curvature of the flexible screen based on the retrieved pluralityof strain values. At 1208, control circuitry 404 may determine a degreeof curvature of the flexible screen based on the retrieved plurality ofstrain values. In some embodiments, control circuitry 404 performs steps1204, 1206, and 1208 as described in connection with FIG. 6 (e.g., byusing Table 1 or Table 2).

At 1210, control circuitry 404 may select a position in the media assetbased on the vertex point. For example, control circuitry 404 maydetermine that the vertex point is centered over a certain point of acontrol bar (e.g., as shown in FIG. 3A). The portion of the media assetthat corresponds to the certain point of the control bar is selected asa presentation position. For example, point 306 of a control bar shownin FIG. 3A may correspond to a 10:30 presentation position of the mediaasset. In this case, control circuitry 404 may present the media assetstarting from the 10:30 position.

In some embodiments, control circuity 404 selects the presentation speedand direction of the media asset solely based on a position of thevertex point determined at step 1204. For example, the flexible screenmay be divided into several sections, each section corresponding to itsown presentation speed and direction. For example, the flexible screenmay be divided into several sections as shown in FIG. 3B. In oneembodiment, control circuity 404 selects the presentation speed anddirection of the media asset based on which section the flexible screenthe vertex point is located in. For example, if the vertex point islocated in section 352 of FIG. 3B, control circuity 404 selects “rewind”as the presentation direction and “8×” as the presentation speed. Inanother example, if the vertex point is located in section 364 of FIG.3B, control circuity 404 selects “forward” as the presentation directionand “8×” as the presentation speed.

At 1212, control circuitry 404 may select a presentation direction basedon the direction of the curvature. For example, if the direction of thecurvature is into the plane of the screen (e.g., as shown in Table 1),control circuitry 404 may select a “fast-forward” presentationdirection. Alternatively, if the direction of the curvature is out ofthe plane of the screen (e.g., as shown in Table 2), control circuitry404 may select a “rewind” presentation direction. In another example, ifthe direction of the curvature is horizontal (e.g., as shown in Table1), control circuitry 404 may select a “fast-forward” presentationdirection. Alternatively, if the direction of the curvature is vertical(e.g., as shown in Table 2), control circuitry 404 may select a “rewind”presentation direction.

At 1214, control circuitry 404 may select a presentation speed based onthe degree of the curvature. For example, the presentation speed may beproportional to the degrees of the curvature. A sharper bend may lead toa selection of a higher speed, while a shallow bend may lead to aselection of a lower speed. For example, a 1-inch radius of the curvemay correspond to 6× speed, a 2-inch radius of the curve may correspondto 4× speed, and a 4-inch radius of the curve may correspond to 2×speed.

At 1216, control circuitry 404 may present the media asset based on theselected position, the selected playback direction and the selectedplayback speed. For example, if the user bends the flexible screen(e.g., screen 416) as shown in FIG. 3A at element 304, control circuitry404 may play the media asset forwards, at 2× speed from a positioncorresponding to a position identified by location 306 of the controlbar.

Steps 1218-1222 may also be optionally performed. For example, at 1218,control circuitry 404 may check if the curvature of the flexible screenchanged. If not, process 1200 goes back to 1216; otherwise, controlcircuitry 404 proceeds to step 1220. At 1220, control circuitry 404 maycheck if less than a predefined time passed (e.g., 0.5 seconds). If so,process 1200 continues at 1222; otherwise, control circuitry 404 returnsto step 1216. At 1222, control circuitry 404 checks if the direction ofthe curvature is different from the determined direction (e.g., thelocation determined at 1212). If so, process 1200 proceeds to step 1224,where control circuitry 404 pauses the presentation of the media asset.In some embodiments, the presentation of the media asset is restarted ifthe user bends the screen once again in any direction. Otherwise,process 1200 proceeds to step 1226, where control circuitry 404 skips aportion of the media asset. For example, control circuitry 404 may skipthe current scene of the media asset and continue presentation of themedia asset from the next scene.

It should be noted that processes 500-1200 or any step thereof could beperformed on, or provided by, any of the devices shown in FIGS. 1-4 .For example, the processes may be executed by control circuitry 404(FIG. 4 ) as instructed by the user interface application. In addition,one or more steps of a process may be incorporated into or combined withone or more steps of any other process or embodiment. In addition, thesteps and descriptions described in relation to FIGS. 5-12 may be donein alternative orders or in parallel to further the purposes of thisdisclosure. For example, each of these steps may be performed in anyorder or in parallel or substantially simultaneously to reduce lag orincrease the speed of the system or method.

It will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that themethods involved in the present invention may be embodied in a computerprogram product that includes a computer-usable and/or readable medium.For example, such a computer-usable medium may consist of a read-onlymemory device, such as a CD-ROM disk or conventional ROM device, or arandom-access memory, such as a hard drive device or a computerdiskette, having a computer-readable program code stored thereon. Itshould also be understood that the methods, techniques, and processesinvolved in the present disclosure may be executed using processingcircuitry.

The processes discussed above are intended to be illustrative and notlimiting. One skilled in the art would appreciate that the steps of theprocesses discussed herein may be omitted, modified, combined, and/orrearranged, and any additional steps may be performed without departingfrom the scope of the invention. More generally, the above disclosure ismeant to be exemplary and not limiting. Only the claims that follow aremeant to set bounds as to what the present invention includes.Furthermore, it should be noted that the features and limitationsdescribed in any one embodiment may be applied to any other embodimentherein, and flowcharts or examples relating to one embodiment may becombined with any other embodiment in a suitable manner, done indifferent orders, or done in parallel. In addition, the systems andmethods described herein may be performed in real time. It should alsobe noted that the systems and/or methods described above may be appliedto, or used in accordance with, other systems and/or methods.

While some portions of this disclosure may make reference to“convention,” any such reference is merely for the purpose of providingcontext to the invention(s) of the instant disclosure, and does not formany admission as to what constitutes the state of the art.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for selecting a region of a flexible screen, the method comprising: detecting, at a first time, by control circuitry of an electronic device, a first bend in the flexible screen away from a top plane of the flexible screen; in response to detecting the first bend: determining, by the control circuitry, a first measure of deflection away from the top plane of the flexible screen, wherein the first measure of deflection is proportional to how far away the screen is bent from the top plane of the flexible screen in un-bent form; identifying, by the control circuitry, a vertex of the first bend in the flexible screen; calculating a first length value, less than a total length of the screen, wherein the first length value is inversely proportional to the first measure of deflection away from the top plane of the flexible screen; selecting, by the control circuitry, a first region of the flexible screen, centered at the vertex, wherein one dimension of the first region is equal to the first length value; and highlighting, by the control circuitry, the first region of the flexible screen; detecting, at a second time subsequent to the first time, a second bend in the flexible screen away from the top plane of the flexible screen; and in response to detecting the second bend: determining, by the control circuitry, a second measure of deflection away from the top plane of the flexible screen, wherein the second measure of deflection is higher than the first measure of deflection; calculating a second length value, wherein the second length value is inversely proportional to the second measure of deflection away from the top plane of the flexible screen, and wherein the second length value is smaller than the first length value; selecting, by the control circuitry, a second region of the flexible screen, centered at the vertex, wherein one dimension of the second region is equal to the second length value; highlighting, by the control circuitry, the second selected region of the flexible screen; detecting, at a third time subsequent to the second time, movement of the vertex from a first location on the flexible screen to a second location on the flexible screen; and in response to detecting the movement of the vertex, moving a center of the highlighting from the first location to the second location.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the flexible screen comprises a plurality of sensors, and wherein each sensor of the plurality of sensors measures strain across a different respective portion of the flexible screen, and wherein determining the first measure of deflection away from the top plane of the flexible screen comprises: receiving a plurality of strain measurements from the plurality of sensors; and computing the first measure of deflection away from the top plane of the flexible screen based on the plurality of strain measurements.
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein detecting the vertex of the first bend in the flexible screen comprises: identifying a greatest strain measurement of the plurality of strain measurements; selecting a portion of the display that is associated with the greatest strain measurement; and determining the vertex of the first bend in the flexible screen based on the portion of the display that is associated with the greatest strain measurement.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein highlighting the first region of the flexible screen comprises: identifying a plurality of objects generated for display in the first region of the flexible screen; selecting an object, of the plurality of objects, that is most prominent in the first region of the flexible screen; and highlighting the selected object.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein highlighting the first region of the flexible screen comprises modifying a color associated with a plurality of pixels corresponding to the first region of the flexible screen.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting the first region of the flexible screen further comprises: determining whether an object is generated for display at a position of the flexible screen corresponding to the vertex; and in response to determining that an object is generated for display at the position of the flexible screen corresponding to the vertex, adjusting the size of the selected region based on a size of the object.
 7. The method of claim 6, further comprising: identifying a plurality of actions corresponding to the object; and generating for display a plurality of user selectable options, wherein each user selectable option corresponds to a respective action of the plurality of actions.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting the first region of the flexible screen further comprises: identifying an action corresponding to the first region of the flexible screen; and performing the action corresponding to the first region of the flexible screen.
 9. The method of claim 1, further comprising: determining whether the second measure of deflection corresponds to a predefined minimum measure of deflection; and in response to determining that the second measure of deflection does not correspond to the predefined minimum measure of deflection, removing the highlighting.
 10. The method of claim 1, wherein calculating the first length value comprises dividing the measure of deflection by a predetermined value.
 11. A system for selecting a region of a flexible screen, the system comprising control circuitry of an electronic device configured to: detect, at a first time, a first bend in the flexible screen away from a top plane of the flexible screen; in response to detecting the first bend: determine a first measure of deflection away from the top plane of the flexible screen, wherein the first measure of deflection is proportional to how far away the screen is bent from the top plane of the flexible screen in un-bent form; identify a vertex of the first bend in the flexible screen; calculate a first length value, less than a total length of the screen, wherein the first length value is inversely proportional to the first measure of deflection away from the top plane of the flexible screen; select a first region of the flexible screen, centered at the vertex, wherein one dimension of the first region is equal to the first length value; and highlight the first region of the flexible screen; detect, at a second time subsequent to the first time, a second bend in the flexible screen away from the top plane of the flexible screen; and in response to detecting the second bend: determine a second measure of deflection away from the top plane of the flexible screen, wherein the second measure of deflection is higher than the first measure of deflection: calculate a second length value, wherein the second length value is inversely proportional to the second measure of deflection away from the top plane of the flexible screen, and wherein the second length value is smaller than the first length value; select a second region of the flexible screen, centered at the vertex, wherein one dimension of the second region is equal to the second length value; highlight the second region of the flexible screen; detect, at a third time subsequent to the second time, movement of the vertex from a first location on the flexible screen to a second location on the flexible screen; and in response to detecting the movement of the vertex, move a center of the highlighting from the first location to the second location.
 12. The system of claim 11, wherein the flexible screen comprises a plurality of sensors, and wherein each sensor of the plurality of sensors measures strain across a different respective portion of the flexible screen, and wherein the control circuitry, when determining the first measure of deflection away from the top plane of the flexible screen, is configured to: receive a plurality of strain measurements from the plurality of sensors; and compute the first measure of deflection away from the top plane of the flexible screen based on the plurality of strain measurements.
 13. The system of claim 12, wherein the control circuitry, when detecting the vertex of the first bend in the flexible screen, is configured to: identify a greatest strain measurement of the plurality of strain measurements; select a portion of the display that is associated with the greatest strain measurement; and determine the vertex of the first bend in the flexible screen based on the portion of the display that is associated with the greatest strain measurement.
 14. The system of claim 11, wherein the control circuitry, when highlighting the first region of the flexible screen, is configured to: identify a plurality of objects generated for display in the first region of the flexible screen; select an object, of the plurality of objects, that is most prominent in the first region of the flexible screen; and highlight the selected object.
 15. The system of claim 11, wherein the control circuitry, when highlighting the first region of the flexible screen, is configured to modify a color associated with a plurality of pixels corresponding to the first region of the flexible screen.
 16. The system of claim 11, wherein the control circuitry, when selecting the first region of the flexible screen, is further configured to: determine whether an object is generated for display at a position of the flexible screen corresponding to the vertex; and in response to determining that an object is generated for display at the position of the flexible screen corresponding to the vertex, adjust the size of the selected region based on a size of the object.
 17. The system of claim 16, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to: identify a plurality of actions corresponding to the object; and generate for display a plurality of user selectable options, wherein each user selectable option corresponds to a respective action of the plurality of actions.
 18. The system of claim 11, wherein the control circuitry, when selecting the first region of the flexible screen, is further configured to: identify an action corresponding to the first region of the flexible screen; and perform the action corresponding to the first region of the flexible screen.
 19. The system of claim 11, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to: determine whether the second measure of deflection corresponds to a predefined minimum measure of deflection; and in response to determining that the second measure of deflection does not correspond to the predefined minimum measure of deflection, remove the highlighting.
 20. The system of claim 11, wherein the control circuitry, when calculating the first length value, is further configured to divide the first measure of deflection by a predetermined value. 